


Crush

by Lucky_13



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, artistic!Stacie, bechloe - Freeform, staubrey - Freeform, tagging bechloe to get back at all of you who tag staubrey and only write 5 words about them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 09:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13924023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky_13/pseuds/Lucky_13
Summary: Stacie tries out an art class and takes a liking to it. In the course of developing her skills, she ends up developing a crush as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another old story from 2013, so still set before PP2 & 3.  
> What can I say, I'm an OG Staubrey fan.

“Alright class. Your assignment for next week is to do a series of drawings: one three-quarter profile…” the professor listed as he wrote on the board. “…one from the waist up, and one full-body figure drawing. You may use either graphite or charcoal, on any kind of paper you prefer as long as it is eleven by fourteen. Got it? Now if you have any further questions, feel free to come speak with me. Happy sketching.”

Stacie packed up her belongings and filed out of the classroom with all the other students, feeling quite excited about the prospects of her homework.

Stacie was a people person. She enjoyed socializing, going to parties, mingling at parties, (sometimes being the center of attention at said parties), and she enjoyed the presence of people in general. This art class had only further cultivated her fascination with people, because now she had learned the merits of simple observation. How much of a person can you get to know merely by studying their behavior, the way the move, and the way they carry themselves? Stacie had found that in the few figure drawing exercises she had partaken in, she was able to learn about the model simply through drawing them. She wasn’t really an art major of any kind, (she signed up for the class just for the sake of trying it out and fulfilling an art requirement), but the brunette found herself carrying this observant perception and newfound curiosity with her to all her other classes and aspects of her college life.

And how intriguing it is indeed!

How Professor Heinz of her literature class looks out the window every time the hero of the novel loses his love interest to the antagonist…or how Daniel her lab partner has never once looked down her shirt no matter how low-cut because he’s been taking subtle glances at another boy across the room…or how some girls would stare at themselves in the bathroom mirror for a moment too long, looking past the excessive mask of make-up painted on their faces to wonder for just a brief second what they were doing with their young lives.

Stacie thrived on being around people and learning about them, and this drawing assignment gave her all the more excuse to stare and scrutinize.

Oh, but who should her models be? The possibilities were endless. She knew a lot of people who would willingly sit for her, (she didn’t want to brag or anything but she knew how to charm others into doing favors for her, be they sexual or not.) But she didn’t want to waste this assignment—this opportunity— on anybody. Not Mike, the empty-headed, pompous jock she had hooked up with a few weeks ago. Not Estelle, who lived in across the hall, whose dad buys her everything she wishes for. She had made Lilly and Cynthia Rose model for her once for a figure drawing exercise, so they were out of the picture. She wanted somebody with a distinct character, as well as somebody she would like to get to know more.

Stacie hummed to herself and pondered on for the rest of the afternoon, hoping to find the perfect models for her three drawings within the next couple of days.

 

—

 

Stacie was walking across campus, headed towards the cafe, when she ran into her favorite little DJ.

“Bec,” she greeted.

“Hey Stacie, what’s up?”

“Nothing much. I was just about to grab some food.”

“Me too.” Beca held open the door and they walked into the cafe together. “I’d ask to eat with you but I have to take food to-go. My shift at the radio station starts in a bit,” she told her friend apologetically.

“That’s alright.” They stood in line for a bit as Stacie gave the shorter girl a once-over. Ever since they joined the Bellas, the girls had been getting to know each other bit by bit. Stacie often hung out with Cynthia Rose and Lilly though, and she had only had a number of one-on-one conversations with Beca, not enough for her to truly get to know the DJ below surface level.

“Hey, how about I buy us dinner and you let me hang out at the radio station for a bit?” Stacie asked.

She watched with amusement as Beca raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“As a favor,” the taller brunette continued. “I need to sketch for an assignment, and I was wondering if I could draw you. All you need to do is sit there,” she encouraged.

“Luke doesn’t allow freshmen in the booth though… well, except me…”

“We can leave the door open and I can sketch from outside the booth.”

“Well…”

 Stacie smirked at her reluctance. “Oh Becs, don’t worry. This is only a figure drawing, not a close up of your face.” She laughed. “Even though you have  _nothing_ to worry about.”

Beca tensed up a bit at the comment, but quickly brushed it off as the girl’s habitual flirtatiousness. “Well, alright I guess…”

“Thanks Becs!” Ignoring her friend’s discomfort, Stacie gave her a big hug, then gestured towards the menu behind the counter. “Now what do you want?”

 

—

 

“Wow, I love this track.” Stacie bopped her head along with the rhythm that was currently emanating from the tiny studio booth.

“Thanks,” Beca called back with a shy smile.

Stacie sat on a stool outside the booth and flipped open her sketchpad. The doorway made for a perfect frame, and Beca was angled slightly towards her, which made for a challenging, yet interesting composition. Stacie took out an HB pencil and was just about to begin, when she was suddenly interrupted by approaching footsteps.

“Becaw! How’s it going?”

Jesse practically skipped into the radio station, narrowly missing a stack of CDs in his rush as he made his way towards the booth. “Oh hi there,” he finally noticed that Beca had company. “Stacie, right?”

Stacie nodded with a smile. “Jesse, right?” she returned good-naturedly.

“The one and only. Has she been talking about me?” He gestured towards the DJ in the booth.

“Jesse, quit it,” they heard an unamused voice call out.

“What did I do?” he pretended to sound injured.

“The only thing about you that I tell my friends is what a huge pain in the–”

“And there she goes again. She’s still in denial.”

“Jesse I swear, I am going to come hit you.”

The boy stood there and watched the DJ, as if to challenge her words, before making a dash for it when Beca got up from her seat threateningly.

“If you need me, I’ll be here stacking CDs!”

Stacie watched the entire exchange, straining to hear Beca’s mumbled ‘As if…’ and watching her plop back down onto her seat with a huff.

“I’m sorry. He can be really annoying sometimes.” Beca played with a few buttons and knobs here and there to transition to the next track on the playlist.

“And before you ask, no, we are not a thing.”

Stacie smirked at how serious, and quite exasperated, she sounded. “I’ll take your word for it. Now…are you ready?”

Beca straightened up. “Um, yeah I guess?”

“Just relax and make yourself comfortable. It shouldn’t take too long,” said Stacie reassuringly. “And don’t worry about minor movements. You can still carry on with your work and everything.”

“Alright, well, tell me if I’m moving too much.”

Stacie brought her pencil up and started her drawing. After the first few minutes, she was glad to see Beca relax fully into her seat, losing the self-consciousness and fully immersing herself into her music. She didn’t even have to worry about her model moving too much, since the little brunette had kept relatively still on her own.

It was very easy to see Beca’s passion for music while she watched her work. There’s this level of attention she could see in her eyes, and every action was carefully calculated, despite the DJ’s 'whatever’ image she put up in front of everybody. Her usually angled and skeptical eyebrows have softened, and there’s a genuine smile gracing her lips, which was a rare sight for anybody who has known Beca Mitchell.

About forty-five minutes later, Stacie was more or less done with her sketch. She was just about to tell Beca, when she heard somebody call her name.

“Hey Stacie!”

She looked up to see her redheaded friend. “Chloe!” She could have sworn that out of the corner of her eye, she saw Beca snap her head up.

“What are you doing here?” the senior asked curiously.

“Just hanging out with Beca for a bit. I needed her to model for my drawing.” Stacie looked over and saw that the girl in question was now looking their direction, pulling her headphones off and getting up from her seat.

“Oh, I see.” There was something about Chloe’s eyes and tone that hinted relief, Stacie noticed. Chloe was about to say something else when Beca hopped out of the booth.

“Hi.”

Their eyes met and Chloe returned Beca’s shy smile with a grin. “Hi.”

Stacie looked between the two of them with eyebrows raised, noting the prolonged eye contact before moving to pack up her bag.

“Oh, were you done?”

“Yep! Thanks for modeling for me Bec. You were great.”

“Can I see?” Chloe asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Um, sure.” Stacie flipped open her sketchpad to the right page and showed it to them.

“Wow, Stace, this is good!” The redhead complimented.

“Yeah. I didn’t know you could draw.”

The taller brunette smiled shyly at her friends. She really wasn’t that great, and it was just a simple sketch, but it was nice to hear positive responses like that. “Thanks you guys.”

She watched as Chloe continued to look. “It’s very Beca,” she remarked. At this point, Stacie wasn’t sure if she was admiring the drawing or admiring the subject itself. Stacie had seen, on more than one occasion, the DJ gaze longingly after their redheaded friend, but she often wondered whether this interest was returned. Perhaps it was time to find out.

“Hey Chloe, do you think you could be my next model?”

The older girl looked up in surprise. “Uh…yeah, sure!”

“Awesome. Just let me know when you are free tomorrow and maybe we can meet up?”

“Sure, that sounds great. I’ll text you.”

Stacie beamed as she gathered her things. Before leaving though she thanked Beca again, adding one more thing in a whisper, “Don’t worry Becs, I won’t have her nude model. That’s for your eyes only.”

She gave the DJ a wink and left a very flustered Beca at the radio station, along with a clueless and slightly jealous Chloe Beale.

 

—

 

“Hey Chloe, sorry I’m late. I got held up in class.”

“Hey Stace. Don’t worry about it. I was just studying.”

The brunette took a seat across from her friend and pulled out her sketchpad. “What class are you studying for?”

“Literature,” she gestured to her big book.

“Are you an English major?”

“Yep,” the redhead answered with a smile. “Have you thought of what you wanted to do yet?”

Stacie looked up from her blank sketchpad. “Uhm… not exactly.”

“That’s alright, you’ve got time to figure that out,” Chloe said with assurance. She noticed that Stacie had brought out her materials. “So, how do you want me to sit?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it too much, just continue studying,” Stacie said. “But with minimal movement,” she added with a giggle.

“Alright, well let me know if this is okay.” Chloe sat up straight and looked down at her book.

“It’s perfect.”

Stacie chose to use a soft graphite pencil and started. She found that the hushed atmosphere of the library really helped her jump into her drawing immediately, and it helped that they sat in a more secluded section of the building. Stacie loved Chloe’s flowing red locks and bright eyes, and really hoped to do them justice in this portrait. Chloe was so open and easy-going; the brunette admired how she was able to get along so well with anybody and everybody. Even a closed off little DJ they both knew.

“So, did you and Beca hang out after I left yesterday?”

Chloe’s head twitched as she wanted to look up but remembered that she was not supposed to move. “Um, yeah. My afternoon class was cancelled and I was around, so I thought I’d stop by to see what she was up to.”

Stacie noticed how she sounded a tiny bit defensive even if she had no reason to be. For a moment, the senior seemed to have gone somewhere else.

“Her mixes are amazing,” Stacie commented. She watched as Chloe’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Yeah she is…” Her eyes widened. “I mean, they. Her mixes.”

The brunette held back a chuckle. Guess it wasn’t one-sided after all, Becs you lucky girl.

Chloe looked up to meet the younger girl’s gaze. Stacie smiled back gently, knowingly, then went on with her drawing without commenting. Neither said another word until thirty minutes later when Stacie was finally finished with her piece. “Alright, I think I’m going to call it a day.”

“Let me see, let me see,” Chloe said eagerly. She reached for the drawing and turned it around.

“Wow… That looks amazing. I don’t know how you do it.”

Stacie gave a shy laugh. “Thanks Chlo. I’m glad you think so.” She threw everything in her bag and took her sketchpad back.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll become an artist someday,” the older girl suggested.

“More like nail artist,” Stacie responded with a wave of her hand. “Thanks so much again Chloe, I’ll see you at practice!”

 

—

 

One last drawing. A three-quarter profile.

But who should her model be?

Of all the people around her, who does she want to draw? Who does she want to get to know more?

Stacey pondered these questions as she walked into the rehearsal room, changed and ready to go for their mandatory half an hour of cardio.

“Alright, now that everybody’s here, let’s start our laps around the bleachers. Chop chop people!”

While there was a moan coming from the general vicinity of where Beca was standing, Stacie couldn’t help but smile at the crisp sound of their captain’s voice. That was one woman who had her shit together. She’s often heard from the other students that Aubrey Posen came at the top of the class, with a work ethic that never settled for mediocrity nor anything below or equivalent to the average. How she had the time and vigor to keep that up, along with all her other extracurriculars, was a complete mystery to Stacie.

“Pick it up Mitchell! You’re slowing down the group!”

“Keep your panties on Posen!”

 

—

 

“No, no, no.”

Stacie frowned when Chloe peeled her hands away from her chest.

“But what’s the point of singing when you’re not singing with  _feeling_?”

Chloe smiled but shook her head. “Oh dear. Here, why don’t you work with Bree for a bit.”

“So you can help shorty over there?” Stacie teased in a whisper, gesturing over towards Beca. She grinned cheekily at Chloe who responded by shooting her a look and giving her a push towards Aubrey.

“Alright Stacie, let’s see what you’ve got,” the blonde prompted when she saw the girl approaching.

Stacie quickly composed herself from being thrusted so suddenly under their captain’s attention, and started to perform their routine, inserting some of her own improv here and there.

“Okay, great. That was great Stace, but why don’t you try this instead,” Aubrey gingerly guided the younger girl’s hand away from where it rested on her breast and set it on her waist.

“Oh alright…” she reluctantly complied. Guess she’ll have to leave the sexiness for another day.

“Good. Now with a little more practice, I’m sure we’ll all have the routine down in no time.”

Stacie couldn’t help but smile at Aubrey’s optimism, however strained it sounded.

 

—

 

“Aubrey?”

“Yes Stacie?”

The brunette looked around, suddenly nervous for coming up to the older girl. “Uhm, well, I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to help me with something…”

“What is it?”

Upon hearing her tone, Stacie decided to be straightforward. “Can I draw you…? For my sketching assignment? It won’t take up too much of your time, all I need is for you to sit still for a while,” she added quickly.

Aubrey couldn’t help but feel a little flattered that Stacie chose her to be the subject of her drawing. “Um…yeah. Yeah, sure.”

“Great!” Stacie tried very hard to contain her excitement. “Are you free tomorrow?”

Aubrey had to check and double-check her schedule on her phone. “Well, I don’t have any commitments in between three and five… so I guess you could stop by our apartment then?”

“Sounds perfect. I will see you tomorrow, Aubrey.”

Finally. A chance to get to know Ms. Posen.


	2. Chapter 2

“Stacie, come in.”

The brunette entered the apartment and was quickly struck by the space. “Wow, this place is amazing.”

Aubrey smirked at her friend. “Thanks. Chloe and I got a little carried away with the decorating when we first moved in. But we really do love it.”

Stacie walked around the living room and tried not to stare too long at the collection of picture frames sitting on the shelves. “It’s so cozy and cute.”

“I know. I’m going to miss it a lot.”

The two girls locked gazes for a moment and Stacie felt an unspoken feeling pass between them, even though she wasn’t sure she understood what it meant. All she knew was that she shouldn’t dwell further on the topic that had arisen.

“So… Did you want me to sit or stand for this drawing of yours?”

“Oh, sitting is fine. However you want. You can even do your work or read if you like,” Stacie added. She knew that Aubrey was a very busy person and didn’t want to be too much of a burden.

“Okay… Well how about I sit here?” the blonde asked as she took a seat on one side of the couch.

“That’s great.” Stacie smiled. She gestured towards the wooden coffee table across from her model. “Would it be okay if I sketched from here?”

“Of course. Just make yourself at home.”

Stacie took a seat and flipped open her sketchbook to a fresh new page.

“Should I look straight at you or…?”

Stacie was suddenly locked onto a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes, and it took her a beat to answer. “Umm…” God, as much as she wanted to keep staring into the depth of those irises…she had to remind herself of the parameters for this final drawing. “Uh, could you turn your head a bit? Like, look out the window or something?”

Aubrey complied and proceeded to remain very still. “This good?”

“Perfect.”

Stacie’s final word lingered in the air between them for a long moment as she retrieved a pencil to start sketching. As the younger girl laid down the foundation of her drawing, she was suddenly very glad to have chosen Aubrey for her three-quarter portrait. She had always found the Bellas captain very beautiful, and to be able to stare at her so closely and openly, memorizing every curve and angle of her face, was quite a privilege. The sunlight coming from the window gave the blonde just the right amount of contrast and definition. They sat in silence, with only the sound of the soft scratching and shading of a single graphite pencil between them. Stacie was surprised that Aubrey didn’t choose to read a book while she sketched. Even Chloe used the time to study for her class, and Beca continued to manage the campus radio. She found this behavior coming from Aubrey to be quite out of character. Stacie stopped drawing for a moment and simply looked. The older girl had her gaze fixated on the view outside the window, set eyebrows and a fixed jaw, with eyes that showed deep contemplation. Aubrey had always been so poised, so rigid and sure of herself; always about business and efficiency and getting things done. But as Stacie looked longer, she found an unexpected layer of vulnerability underneath the surface. She suddenly wondered, when was the last time anyone had asked Aubrey how she was doing? How she was feeling? She was certain that Chloe had taken it unto herself to care for Aubrey, being her best friend and roommate, but she also had a feeling that the blonde had this permanent front she would put up, unrelentingly stubborn, rarely revealing a moment of weakness even when she needed somebody to lean on. Aubrey was a perfectionist, with standards so high that the slightest sign of failure or incompetence was deemed unacceptable. But Stacie knew that nobody could possibly keep that up for so many years without a break, without cracking. The moment Aubrey Posen sits still is the moment she reflects and thinks about herself— not her work, not her future career, not her father.

“What’s wrong?”

Stacie broke out of her trance and snapped her gaze down at her half-finished drawing. There was something so heartbreaking about the image of Aubrey that she had captured on paper.

“Um… Nothing. Nothing.” She picked up her pencil again and began mindlessly shading in the shadows of her model’s hair.

“You don’t sound very certain of that,” the older girl said with a chuckle.

And just like that, Stacie watched as Aubrey built her walls up again, hardening her gaze, as if a moment ago her facade had never slipped.

“I’m just… thinking,” Stacie offered pathetically. “I’m trying to do the real Aubrey justice,” she added with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood with a playful deflection.

She could have sworn the blonde blushed at her comment.

“I never knew you were an artist,” Aubrey said, trying to move on from the girl’s previous statement.

“Oh, I’m not really… I signed up for this art class just to see if I would like it.”

“Do you?”

The brunette smiled as she sharpened the detail of her model’s nose. “I do.”

They fell into a brief lapse of silence once more as Stacie continued to draw, looking up and down constantly as she tried her best to get every line and every shade right. It felt like an obligation to the senior, to execute the drawing as accurate and precise as her amateur skills would allow.

“I don’t think I’ve ever asked— what major are you?” the younger of the two girls asked.

“Pre-law.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.” The brunette meticulously drew the contour of Aubrey’s neckline. “I don’t think I could ever study law.”

“Not your thing?” Aubrey asked, trying not to grin too widely.

“I prefer…cuticle care.” They both laughed at that.

They sat for a couple minutes longer until a shrill ringtone went off all of a sudden.

“Shit, that’s my phone.”

“That’s okay, I’m pretty much done.”

The cellphone continued to ring.

“You sure?”

Stacie stood up and closed her sketchpad. “Positive. Now answer it before the person hangs up!”

She watched the blonde jump up from the couch and rush to grab her cellphone on the kitchen counter. “Hello?

“Yes…

“At Bentley Hall?

“Sure. I’ll be there.”

Stacie figured that her friend had somewhere to be, so she had quickly packed up her things and slung her bag around her shoulder, ready to head for the door.

“Sorry,” Aubrey said when she hung up. “Impromptu meeting with the Student Board.”

“That’s alright, I have to get going too.” They moved to the front of the apartment and Aubrey opened the door for her friend.

“Thanks so much for sitting for me Aubrey.”

“No problem.” It was strange, but the blonde seemed to have enjoyed their little session as much as Stacie did. “Hey, I never got to see the drawing,” she realized.

Stacie smiled sheepishly. “Ah, I’ll show you some other time. I gotta run.”

“Alright, well, promise you will.”

“Okay.”

 

—

 

Stacie was quite surprised that she got an A for her drawing assignment, albeit the professor’s reputation for being a fair grader. It was funny though, how this was one of her first ‘A’s in college, and yet, she found herself more proud of her actual drawings than the good marks she received.

She flopped down on her bed and gazed aimlessly at the ceiling. Her mind was still racing with thoughts of their critique, and the other students’ feedback on her work. What she didn’t expect was her teacher coming up to her at the end of class to say (with a wink), “Lovely portrait of Ms. Posen. Great job.”

Stacie ran a hand through her hair with a sigh, then got up from her bed. She went over to her desk and picked up her drawing of Aubrey. The brunette stared for a long moment, before finally deciding to pin it up on the wall above her workspace.

 

—

 

Chloe wiped the sweat from her brow as she searched for her keys to unlock her apartment door. She had just come back from the gym and was very much looking forward to a cool shower. She flung open the door and was about to walk in when she noticed something laying the the floor on the other side of the threshold.

“What’s this?”

She picked up a big envelope and read the pink post-it stuck on top.

“Chloe, for you.”

Extremely intrigued by this point, the redhead quickly opened it to search its contents. A single piece of paper slipped out, and she turned it around to find Stacie’s drawing of her favorite little DJ.

“Oh you…” Even after rolling her eyes, Chloe’s gaze fell back onto the figure. She bit her lip, and after a minute of self-control, she finally gave in and proceeded to find a space in her room to pin it up, telling herself that it was in support of Stacie’s artistic endeavors over anything else.

 

—

 

Beca was spending her typical late afternoon ignoring an essay that needed to be written in favor of remixing some newly downloaded songs, when a pillow suddenly hit her on the back, effectively startling her from her intense concentration. She yanked off her headphones and spun around to shoot a glare at her Korean roommate.

“God Kimmy Jin, you know that scares the  _shit_  out of me when you do that.”

“You never hear anything when you have those on. Somebody’s knocking.”

“And you can’t answer it, why?”

“I’m about to break my tetris record.”

Beca rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold back a smile. Over time, she had gotten to be on fairly civil terms with her roommate, even if they had very different personalities. The one thing they had in common was their fluency in sarcasm, and the “white girl” would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy some of their day-to-day banters.

“Stacie?” Beca greeted with a little confusion when she opened the door.

“Hi Becs, I hope you don’t mind me stopping by for a bit.”

“Oh no, I was just on my computer,” she gestured behind her. “Do you…want to come in?”

Stacie almost laughed at her friend’s face, knowing that the shorter girl must be wondering why she was receiving an unexpected visit from her. “Um, I don’t really have time to hang; I have an evening lecture in ten minutes. I just came by to give you something.” Beca furrowed her brows as Stacie handed her a big envelope. “You’re welcome,” she said with a wink, before turning on her heels.

“Thanks?” Beca said as she watched her friend walk down the hallway.

She went back into her room and immediately peeked inside the envelope.

“Oh Stacie…” she murmured with a shake of her head.

She would never admit to anybody that later that night (and many nights afterwards), she took the drawing of Chloe out and stared at it for a good ten to fifteen minutes before finally going to bed. 

 

—

 

Stacie found that her portrait of Aubrey fit in quite well with the other photos and post-its adorning her wall. She also found that it became a new favorite resting place for her eyes whenever she was at her desk taking a break from homework. It was strange, but the brunette had grown to be very attached to the drawing. Even though some of her later work displayed a more cultivated level of skill, she always found herself going back to that one. Every time she received a mass text from Aubrey about Bellas practice, she looked at it. Every time something reminded her of the senior, she looked at it. And quite frankly, Stacie didn’t think she could ever get tired of it.

 

—

 

They started out to be random doodles that she did whenever she was early to Bellas practice. Everybody else would be occupied, either chit-chatting among themselves or checking their phones or reading a book. Stacie, however, would sit a couple of seats back, sketching her unsuspecting friends to make the time pass until the rest of the group members finally show up. Over time, she found different attributes of each Bella that she enjoyed drawing the most, like Cynthia-Rose’s stylish hairdo, Amy’s unique dancing poses, or Lilly’s eccentric yet cute outfits. Pulling out her sketchbook quickly became second nature for Stacie.

So it made sense that when Aubrey began giving forty-five-minute lectures about music theory, taking care of your vocal chords, correct body posture and everything in between, Stacie would naturally take out her little sketchbook and pretend to take notes while entertaining herself with fresh doodles. They began as rough sketches of the backs of everybody’s heads (she’s got a pretty good one of Beca dozing off). But Stacie felt guilty for not paying attention, so she often tried her best to focus her gaze on their speaking captain. As a result, the brunette’s sketchbook soon became filled with Aubrey’s hair, Aubrey’s hands, Aubrey’s eyes, Aubrey’s lips…and all over again in different positions, different angles, different shadings. While Stacie had found favorite characteristics of all the other Bellas, with her…she found herself quite taken by every aspect of Aubrey Posen, from her long, delicate fingers, to the distinct arch of her eyebrows, to her perfect poise. Everything about the blonde was just so fascinating to draw. 

Stacie had never imagined that she would take such a great interest in drawing, but Aubrey was making it very difficult not to. And Stacie wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

 

—

 

It took a few more weeks for it to finally occur to her that she might have a small crush on Aubrey. (Well, small might be an understatement, but Stacie prefers the ostensible reversibility of a  _beginning_  of something than have to deal with a more consequential matter.)

Because it was only a tiny, trivial little crush, Stacie carried on with her usual routine and went on to sleep with a number of guys, and once a girl, to satisfy her intense libido.

Only, the more she forced herself to stop thinking about Aubrey Posen, the more she did.

More than once, she tried to chalk it up to her great admiration and respect for Aubrey’s character, and how she wished she could learn to be as put-together as the blonde was. But then she thought of all those times her gaze lingered upon Aubrey’s lips…and it really frustrated her because Stacie thought she was only sexually deprived, but even after numerous hook-ups, she felt dry and  _unsatisfied_.

What would it take for her to get out this rut that she unintentionally dug for herself? Would sleeping with Aubrey possibly help her move on?

Well, fuck. That’s never going to happen.

A part of Stacie ached at that thought.


	3. Chapter 3

She couldn’t believe she had lost it. She always placed it in the exact same place, in the inside pocket of her bag.

Fuck. She had nearly two months’ worth of sketches in there.

She could only hope that it would eventually wind up at the campus lost-and-found office instead of the dump.

“Arrrgh!”

Fuck.

How could it…

Stacie was so upset, she didn’t even want to think.

She flopped down onto her bed with a groan, paralyzed by her recent loss.

She was so consumed in cussing herself out and sulking that it seemed as if hours had passed before she finally heard the soft knocking at her door.

“Shit.” She really wasn’t in the mood for talking to anybody right now.

After a couple more knocks, Stacie dragged herself out of bed and tried to compose herself before answering the door.

“Aubrey…?”

She blinked a couple of times to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. True enough, the senior was standing across the threshold, a shy smile adorning her face.

“Hi Stacie. I um… You… I found this on the bleachers of our practice room. You must have left it there by accident.”

The brunette’s gaze snapped onto a familiar looking sketchbook that her friend was holding in her hand.

“Oh my god. Oh my god, _thank you_.” She quickly took her prized possession and clutched it tightly to her chest. “You have no idea how much I was freaking out about losing this. Seriously, thank you so much for finding it, Bree.”

“No problem,” the blonde offered with a slight shrug. They stood quietly for a moment and Stacie noticed that the older girl seemed to have something more to say.

“I… I hope you don’t mind, but I was trying to find out who it belonged to…and I…kind of looked through…”

Oh.

Shit.

“You are a very talented artist, Stace.”

Shit, shit, shit.

Blood rushed to Stacie’s face, and when she finally looked up at Aubrey, she saw that the girl had a faint blush on her cheeks as well.

They stood in awkward silence for a minute until the older girl saved them from enduring it any longer.

“Well, um, I have to go.” She made an awkward mid-air gesture with her hands.

“Oh. Okay.”

“I’ll see you in practice.”

“Yep.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Fuck.

 

—

 

Ever since that incident, Stacie noticed that the blonde acted differently around her, and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. For the sake of not embarrassing herself any further, Stacie decided to stop sketching at Bellas rehearsals completely, and instead, opted for her previous favorite activity of filing each of her fingernails to perfection. Occasionally she would catch Aubrey’s eyes after a moment of staring (because she really couldn’t help staring sometimes), and they would snap away from each other as quick as possible. It really didn’t help that Aubrey was the captain, and that her position required everybody, including Stacie, to focus their attention on her throughout most of practice, if not all.

It also didn’t help that Chloe and Beca’s toners for each other grew significantly day by day, and that the distracted redhead often left Stacie under Aubrey’s supervision.

It wasn’t that Stacie was bad at dancing or anything—she began ballet at a young age and was actually quite good at memorizing their routines. It was that under Aubrey’s scrutiny, Stacie found herself making more missteps and mistakes than she normally should have. Which didn’t provide for a productive situation at all.

“Here. Why don’t you try to keep your hips still while you do this move.”

Before Stacie could say anything, Aubrey had moved behind her and placed both her hands firmly on the girl’s hips to keep them in place.

Oh god.

She would never have imagined it to be so painful… to be so close to her object of desire, and yet not nearly as close as she wanted to be. When rehearsal finally came to an end, Stacie bolted from the room and headed straight to take a cold shower.

 

—

 

Stacie failed her last Bio exam, which didn’t come as a surprise at all since she’s been feeling pretty distracted lately and was never very good at the subject in the first place. She bit her lip as her fifty-something year old teacher called her over to speak with him at the end of class.

“Ms. Conrad, I have to say, I’m quite disappointed in your most recent test results.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Quincy, I guess I’m having a hard time with this section of the book.”

“Well, Ms. Conrad. I don’t know if this is because you have something else going on in your life right now, but judging by your previous test results, I can tell that you can do much better than this. I’d like for you to take the test again.”

“Thank you sir, but I really don’t think that’s going to–”

She was interrupted by a quick knock on the classroom door and somebody entering.

“Hi Mr. Quincy, I’ve got a folder from Ms…”

Stacie’s gaze locked onto a pair of familiar blue eyes.

“Ah, Ms. Posen. How nice to see you today.”

Aubrey snapped her eyes back to the professor and gave him a smile before handing him a folder. “This is for you, from Ms. Philips.”

“Thank you very much.” He gingerly slipped it in his briefcase and adjusted his spectacles. “You know, Ms. Posen took my class a few years back.

“I still remember, she was always the first to raise her hand,” he said with a chuckle. “Ms. Conrad, do you know Ms. Posen?”

“Uhm, yes. We’re friends.”

“Ah, well that’s great.” He thought for a moment as he finished packing up his briefcase. “Maybe you can ask Ms. Posen to help you study for your make-up test. I’m sure she will be a great tutor.” He turned to look at the blonde expectantly.

“Sure, I’d gladly help,” she answered with a tight smile. She and Stacie exchanged a quick glance.

“Alright girls, I have to get going. Ms. Conrad, I hope you will be prepared for next week. And Ms. Posen, very nice to see you again.”

When he finally left the classroom, Stacie spoke up.

“Thank you for offering. You really don’t have to.” The younger girl was slightly embarrassed that Aubrey had become involved in this.

“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I’d be glad to help.”

 

—

 

Every evening in the following days, they met at the library at 8:30pm  _sharp_  (as Aubrey had emphasized) for a revision session. Stacie wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She didn’t think it was possible to feel both thrilled and ridiculously anxious about spending one-one-one time with the senior. Her only solution was to focus on her biology book and actually try to memorize the vocabulary. She made a conscious effort to learn so that she wouldn’t have to ask Aubrey to explain unless absolutely necessary, because she had quickly discovered how hard it was to concentrate with Aubrey speaking right beside her. This was possibly the only time Stacie had regretted not paying attention in class. It was bad enough that Aubrey had to tutor her and sit so close by…

At the end of each session, Aubrey selected a couple of questions from the book for a quick revision quiz. Stacie tried her best not to groan out loud when the time came, and hoped for both of their sake that she would get at least seventy percent of them right. Whenever she finished, the brunette would gingerly slide her sheet of answers over to her tutor, carefully studying the expression on Aubrey’s face to gauge how good or bad she did and mentally prepare for a scolding.

“I think you should look over number three again. And six. And seven.”

Stacie huffed in mild frustration and proceeded to glare at the cover of her textbook. “I don’t think I understand this section very well…" It was quite embarrassing really. Aubrey probably thought she was an idiot.

But the older girl remained patient, and the harshness that was so expected from the Bellas’ captain never came. “That’s okay. Which part is confusing to you?“ Then she would flip open the book, scoot a little closer, and explain it all over again.

But by then, Stacie would barely be able to concentrate on anything other than the shampoo Aubrey used, or the way her slender fingers traced the images and danced around the lines of text in the book. The result was Stacie insisting that she finally understood the material, and later forcing herself to go back to study that section in a much less distracting setting.

By the end of their fourth study session, Stacie had to tell Aubrey that she didn’t need any more revision for the test. (Unfortunately, in the flurry of thanking the blonde for her time and trying to leave as fast as possible, Stacie kind of accidentally promised to buy her lunch some day.)

 

—

 

In order to release some of her sexual frustration, Stacie resorted to seeking out her fuck buddies again. They helped take the edge off for several days at a time, but they were proving to be increasingly unsatisfactory. Even they seemed to have noticed the off-ness about the young brunette.

"Stacie.

“Stacie!”

“Huh?”

“Where were you?”

“I… Nowhere.”

“You’re distracted.”

“It’s nothing.”

Jen, a blonde she’d recently began hooking up with, chuckled with a shake of her head and left the bed. A sudden click of a door closing finally brought Stacie out of her thoughts and into the realization that she was the only one left in the room. 

 

—

 

Lately, she had been feeling Aubrey’s eyes on her during Bellas rehearsals, more often than before. It used to be a quick once over to make sure she was following the choreography correctly. But now it lingered…burning into her skin like hot glue. And Stacie would be lying if she said it didn’t make her nervous.

After a series of self-monitored trials, Stacie eventually found that her limit of being within two feet of Aubrey Posen was only for a maximum of three and a half minutes (the relationship of distance and time being directly proportional of course). Any more than that and she would need to remove herself from the premises or be presented with one hell of a distraction.

It was becoming a real problem.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've apologized in the past for not writing smut, and I'll apologize again. Sorreeeeeee

The first time it happened was just before practice one day. Stacie forgot to print out her research paper and was held back for a bit after class, so she ended up running late. As soon as her teacher let her go, she made a dash for the auditorium. She knew perfectly well how much the Bellas captain disapproved of tardiness and even disliked those who were exactly on time, because if she had her way, everybody would arrive five minutes early. Stacie cursed herself as she ran down a flight of stairs, too afraid to sprint faster and risk a twisted ankle. She could only hope that Aubrey wouldn’t call her out on it later, or at least pull her aside instead of scolding her in front of everybody else like she often did with Beca.

She hurried towards the auditorium’s entrance and was about to reach for the handle, when suddenly the door swung open by itself and she collided into a body. A sharp gasp was accompanied by a flurry of paper that ended up scattered all over the hallway.

“Shit, I am  _so_  sorry…” Stacie apologized immediately. When she looked up, she was met with a pair of familiar blue irises. She smiled sheepishly at a slightly flustered Aubrey Posen.

“That’s okay… I was just going to make some copies for everyone…”

They stared at each other for a while until Stacie snapped out of it and quickly bent down to gather the papers that were dropped. Without another word, the blonde soon joined her on the floor and they gathered the mess in silence. There was one sheet left and the two girls reached for it at the same time. Aubrey’s fingers ended up on top of Stacie’s, and they both snapped their eyes up at the flash of electricity coursing up their arms.

It took a second for Aubrey to retrieve her hand, and another two for Stacie to reboot and pick up the last piece of paper. They stood up at the same time, and when the brunette finally handed over her stack of sheet music, their eyes met once more. It was a heated exchange, and it faintly registered at the back of their minds exactly how close they were standing. Stacie really couldn’t find enough self-control and took a glance down at a pair of pink, full lips. God, it wasn’t fair. Stacie couldn’t think of anyone she had wanted as much as the woman right in front of her.

The slamming of a door down the hall startled the two girls, and they jumped out of their daze.

“I um… Copies…” Aubrey looked down and spun on her heels to head for the copy room.

Stacie unabashedly allowed her eyes to trail after the blonde’s slim figure, lingering a little at her posterior. She sighed and finally entered the auditorium, already dreading the torturous practice that was to come.

 

—

 

The second time it happened, they came a whole lot closer than the first.

Stacie was heading back to her dorm after her evening lecture class. As she was making her way across the quad, she heard a familiar voice call out her name — it was one of the guys she used to hook up with. She sighed and debated on whether she should keep walking or not, but after the boy yelled at her a couple more times, she finally stopped and spun around.

“Hey. You headin’ back to yours?” he asked in a pant when he finally caught up. He leaned in too close and she immediately caught the smell of alcohol in his breath.

“Yeah,” she answered curtly, taking a step backwards.

He didn’t take a hint. “Well, if you’re up for it, maybe we could, you know…” He slipped his hand around her waist. “Like old times.”

Stacie held her breath and maneuvered out of his grip. “Sorry Max, I’d rather not.”

When she moved away, he grabbed her arm to tug her back. “Come on Stacie. I know you want it. Stop playing hard to get.”

“Max, we talked about this a long time ago. We’re not doing this anymore.”

“Aw, come on. You don’t really mean that.”

He kept pulling her closer so she forcefully shoved him away. “ _Max_!”

He stumbled backwards. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he spat.

Shit. Now she’s gotten him angry. “Max, I said  _no_.”

He ignored her protests and gripped onto her arm tightly.

“Let me go.”

“Why? What are you going to do about it?”

When he tried to drag her closer, Stacie reached up with her free hand and slapped him hard. Max let go of her and cradled his face with his hands. “You fucking bitch!”

Stacie watched in panic as he drew his hand back to strike, but before she could even react to defend herself, somebody else caught his arm mid-air.

“Back off, asshole.”

Was that…

…Aubrey?

Max turned in confusion and was about to shove the blonde away, but instead let out a yelp when she dug her nails into his arm and twisted his wrist behind his back.

“Walk away or you’ll regret it.”

By this time, the noise they had been causing had gathered some attention from a group of passing students. Max jerked his arm away from Aubrey’s grip and spat a “fucking psycho bitch” as he left in a huff.

Aubrey’s steel cold gaze followed his retrieving figure until she was sure that he was at a non-threatening distance away. She then turned back to Stacie and they stared at each other with wide eyes for a couple of silent seconds.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Stacie looked down at her arm, which became slightly red from Max’s tight grip. Aubrey followed her gaze and drew in a sharp breath. She gently took Stacie’s hand in hers to examine the red marks.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” the brunette insisted, though rather unconvincingly to Aubrey’s ears.

They stood there for a moment longer, paralyzed by what had just occurred, until the older girl finally composed herself well enough to speak up once more. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”

The silence between them was heavy as their legs automatically brought them across the quad and up a hill to reach the brunette’s dorm. Aubrey’s mind was startled blank, and she only snapped out of it when Stacie finally came to a halt in front of her room. All of a sudden, Stacie became all too aware of the older girl’s presence, and Aubrey, her own. They turned to face each other, trying to communicate with their eyes as their tongues failed them.

Stacie had meant to thank her friend, and Aubrey had meant to offer an ear or a shoulder to lean on. But the moment they took a step closer to one another — the moment their eyes met for a prolonged intake of a breath — gravity pulled them in. A flutter of lashes and a tilt of the head. The pounding of hearts reverberated around the empty hallway, and Aubrey felt as if everything around her finally made sense. Her ragged breath met Stacie’s lips, and suddenly everything seemed so slow…

Too slow.

A shout and some more voices came from down the hall and Aubrey jumped back instantly. Her eyes were wide and alarmed, then quickly became embarrassed and apologetic. Stacie’s were full of disappointment and she couldn’t even find it in her to hide it. A part of her had already expected to watch Aubrey turn away in a panic, and she stood there waiting for the pain to hit.

But then, she felt a hand take hers instead, along with a light squeeze.

When Stacie looked up again, she met understanding eyes and a shy smile as Aubrey silently begged for patience.

Maybe, just maybe, luck was on her side after all.

 

—

 

It was no surprise when the third time it happened, Aubrey actually stepped across the threshold and into her room.

They both had the pretense of being intoxicated off their asses from the number of drinks they’ve had. It was some frat kid’s house party that half the school attended, with a live DJ (one with music choices that Beca rolled her eyes at from time to time) and free beer. Aubrey was never too fond of parties, especially ones with so many people that she usually wouldn’t associate herself with. But the Bellas were going, and Chloe insisted, so she didn’t have much of a choice. Aubrey had always made it a point to look after her roommate, knowing fully well how crazy the redhead could get after having one jiggle juice too many. But as the party progressed into the night, she quickly discovered that with Beca there, she had nothing to worry about at all. It was like having a second pair of eyes watching over Chloe like a hawk, and when the girl became all clingy and affectionate, Aubrey no longer had to be at the receiving end of it. (She could tell though that Beca was far from complaining, even if she tried to hide it.) That left Aubrey free to wander around the mess of a house, swaying to the beat of the bass of the music thumping loudly in her heart as she slipped in and out of the crowded dance floor, and eventually ending up in the kitchen. She went straight to retrieve her second beer from the cooler, reveling in the feeling of her hand submerged in ice for a moment. Her face was warm and she tried to brush away the hair sticking to her face. An open window allowed for cool, crisp air to circulate, and Aubrey inhaled deeply as she caught her breath. Being a lightweight, she was already feeling the buzz from the small amount of beer she had drank earlier, plus a shot of tequila that Chloe had practically forced down her throat. Her feet were a little sore from dancing in heels (and also being kicked around in the sea of people huddled in the living-room-turned-dance-floor.)

It took a while for her to get into the mood at first, initially too wrapped up in her mind about schoolwork and thesis and whatnot. But after the first drink, she began to feel it. And after the second, she decided it was okay to let go. She had danced for a while with Chloe, up until Beca was coerced into getting up from her seat in the corner. Aubrey only rolled her eyes good-naturedly at them. She danced with some other people for a bit, enjoying the mood and the music. A strong, low beat had transitioned in and suddenly she found herself right in front of some random guy, who happened to move a little too close into her personal space than she would have liked. She tensed up a bit and turned away slightly, bopping her head to the music as she took another step backwards. But the guy persisted and slid right in front of her again, this time having the audacity to wrap an arm around her waist. Aubrey smiled tightly and inched back, attempting to sway out of his grasp. She was beginning to get very uncomfortable, but before he had the chance to slide his hand down to her ass, somebody slipped in between them. Aubrey found herself gently pushed backwards as this girl took her place dancing with the creep. When the girl glanced over her shoulder, Aubrey realized she was looking into the playful eyes of Stacie Conrad. Giving her arm a light squeeze, Aubrey took the chance to duck into the crowd and slip out of the living room and into the kitchen.

And so there she was, catching her breath, taking a swig of ice cold beer and grimacing after at the bitterness. Beer would rarely be her beverage of choice but she was too thirsty to do anything about it. She looked around the messy and empty kitchen, all too glad that she was the only one in there. Sometimes being surrounded by so many people could be absolutely overwhelming, so, although the music from the next room was still booming, she appreciated the distance however short-lived it may be.

It was only another few seconds when somebody else walked in.

And surprisingly, somebody she wanted to see.

“Hi.”

Aubrey fought the fluttering feeling in her stomach but it didn’t work. “Hi,” she answered, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the music.

Stacie looked around the kitchen once, before slowly walking up to her and gesturing to the bottle she was holding. “Can I have a sip of that?”

“Sure.”

Their fingers brushed ever so slightly at the exchange, and Aubrey simply stared when the brunette brought the mouth of the bottle up to her pink lips.

“Thanks,” the older girl blurted. “Thanks for helping me with that weirdo.”

Stacie smacked her lips and handed Aubrey her beer back with a smile. “No problem.” She shrugged.

They stared at each other for a prolonged moment, taking in the heavy and droning thud of the bass and the noise of everything around them.

“I still owe you.”

“Huh?” Aubrey gave her a confused look.

“For dealing with Max that night. And for helping me study.” The brunette licked her lips. “Let me…do something for you in return.”

Their eyes met in a heated gaze, full of expectation. Maybe it was because there was some strange semblance of logic in Stacie’s proposition, or maybe Aubrey was too tired of pushing her feelings away. No words were exchanged, only a pull, a magnetism to do something neither of them would have done sober.

A coaxing tug of an arm and the both of them were stumbling through a dark campus towards Stacie’s dorm. They giggled quietly all the way down the hall, to the front of her room. But when Stacie finally unlocked her door and stepped across the threshold, pulling Aubrey in behind her, they both fell silent.

Pumping adrenalin and heartbeats in their ears, it suddenly hit them that this moment was finally happening.

Stacie turned around and took Aubrey’s trembling hands in hers. After a moment, she looked up and sent the senior a look that was patient and understanding.

It was just the two of them here. Nobody else.

So Aubrey caved.

She tightly shut her eyes and leaned in, meeting Stacie’s lips in a way she had been dreaming of for the longest time. Mouths and tongues instantly melding together in a harmony of pants and moans. Hands gripping onto waists and shoulders and hair as they staggered towards the bed. Stacie pulled Aubrey on top of her and they fell into a tangle of limbs, of frantically wandering hands and arching backs. A roll of her hips and their positions were switched. Stacie wanted to make Aubrey feel good, and she tried not to get too distracted. She stripped and carelessly threw her top onto the floor, which was soon followed by her skirt. Aubrey’s eyes were dark and wide. Slowly, with the skillful coaxing of warm lips on her neck, she became undressed as well. When Stacie reached back for her bra, she drew back and paused in question. But Aubrey didn’t want to think and only kissed her harder in response. Very soon, the rest of their clothing was on the floor. Their bodies were flushed as they touched, and in their hazy minds, both could care less about whose moans were louder. They felt everything they could feel, tasted everything they could taste.

They collapsed in a heap of fatigued muscles and sweat, bodies entangled in reckless abandon over mangled sheets, with the cool air breezing through the gap of the window and their heavy breaths lulling them at last to sleep.

 

—

 

Aubrey blinked her eyes open to what may be the most satisfying yet confusing morning she had ever had. Her first moment of consciousness was met with an unfamiliar floral scent and a glimpse of sheets that were not her own… and certainly, brown hair that was not her own. Her body shot up, and when the bed sheet fell to reveal her very nude body, she regretted the action instantly. She gripped onto the fabric and wrapped it around her torso self-consciously as she stared down at the girl lying next to her. Stacie, still very much sound asleep, had draped an arm around the blonde’s waist. Aubrey bit her lip and blushed hard when images from the night before caught up to her. She ran a hand through her hair in attempts to untangle the mess, preening as she looked around the room. A heap of clothes, including hers, on the floor. A typical dorm room set up with a closet and a dresser. Above the dresser, an array of brushes and cosmetics. Below, a long line of boots and heels. Stacie’s desk was a space of organized mess. Along her walls, a personal collage of posters, photographs and random stickers. And drawings. It took a moment for Aubrey to realize that one of the drawings was of herself.

Her lips parted as she stared, suddenly recalling the day she sat for Stacie, and she blushed once again, flattered at the idea of being the subject of someone’s musings. She turned to look at Stacie again, startled suddenly to see that the younger girl’s eyes were open, looking up at her.

“Morning,” came a playful, throaty murmur.

Aubrey’s face felt like it was overheating and she looked away. She quickly searched for an excuse and landed on the clock.

“It’s past twelve already,” she corrected.

Stacie rolled her eyes and flexed the arm that was around Aubrey’s waist, causing the girl to tense up. They caught each other’s gaze once more and simply stared in silence. Words failed to form any sentences whenever their eyes met, and every train of thought flew out the window. Stacie didn’t have to ask if Aubrey had somewhere to be because she was sitting right there with no intentions of moving. At least no intentions of moving away, because then, gravity seemed to have switched on and Aubrey finally decided she wanted to lean closer and closer instead. Stacie’s eyes fluttered shut in anticipation, but when their noses brushed and their lips still haven’t touched, they snapped opened again.

“You are such a stalker.” Aubrey couldn’t resist a chuckle.

Stacie gaped at the blonde, before tugging her back down onto the bed. “Shut up!”

They wrestled and laughed together, until Stacie managed to pin the older girl to the bed below. Aubrey bit her lip when she looked up from their position, trying very hard not to notice how very nude they both were. But the way Stacie managed to be so comfortable in her own body kind of made her feel comfortable too. Aubrey looked up and their eyes locked onto each other’s. Slowly, and almost delicately, the brunette leaned down and placed a shy kiss on her lips. There was nothing left for Aubrey to do except close her eyes and kiss back. Their lips moved together so deliciously, so wonderfully, that it was doing strange things to Aubrey’s heart.

They laid there for a long while, basking in the tender attention and intimacy shared only between the two of them.

But all of a sudden—an interruption from the outside world came in the form of a vibration and high-pitched blips.

They chose to ignore it for at least three more times until it finally got annoying.

Aubrey groaned, and after a conflicted moment of hesitation, strained to reach for her phone on the floor.

It turned out to be a self-reminder that they had practice at 3.

Shit.

Stacie simply stared aimlessly at the ceiling, waiting.

After a quick glance at the younger girl next to her, Aubrey sighed, fiddled with her phone for a bit then threw it aside haphazardly.

They laid together, watching the soft shadows in the room created by the blinds and the swaying trees outside.

“I just cancelled practice.”

Stacie paused for a moment, then turned to shoot the blonde an extremely smug and knowing look.

“Don’t even,” Aubrey warned, shaking her head.

Stacie’s smile broke out into a full grin, and then into a laugh.

“Shut up,” she demanded in a highly unamused tone.

Stacie wished she could but she couldn’t. So she settled for burying her face in Aubrey’s shoulder as she pulled her body as close as possible.

Between her and herself, Stacie theorized that she had the ability to bring out the best in Aubrey Posen. The rest of the Bellas, in due time, would have to agree.


End file.
